The present invention relates to card readers and more particularly to credit, cash, smart or other transaction card readers that require the card insertion slot to reject materials other than cards and require good card orientation during initial insertion.
Conventional transaction card readers are well known and include a variety of types and designs including full and partial card insertion to the position in which the card is read and manual insertion or automatic/motor assisted insertion. In each of these, various internal reader elements, such as grooves, channels, moving trays, etc. are provided with a purpose of orienting and guiding the card to a proper reading position. The technical problems associated with this function have become more serious with, for example, the growth of ISO smart cards having extremely small dimensions and tolerances for contacts or pads and other elements of the card and reader. In addition, many of these cards are partially inserted to the reading position and manually inserted and withdrawn from the reader giving rise to the need for proper and more precise card orientation and direction at the time of initial manual insertion.
In addition, conventional readers include elements to block the reader mouth or insertion slot. These elements function to block debris from entering the reader and to block tamper tools from entering the reader. These elements normally include hinged doors or slide gates that block the reader opening and that manually or automatically move to allow entry in response to the presence of a card regardless of card orientation.